Raitt calls on committee to review transport of dangerous goods

How dangerous goods are moved in Canada is going under review, five months after a deadly train derailment and explosion killed 50 people, decimating the rural community of Lac Megantic, Que.

At the request of Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt, the House Transport and Infrastructure committee will look into how goods, particularly dangerous goods such as oil, natural gas or chemicals are moved across the country. Raitt suggested the study in her first committee appearance since being shuffled into the portfolio in July, just days before the Lac Megantic tragedy.

“There really is no higher priority for ensuring the safety of Canadians,” the minister said. “You don’t want [Lac Megantic] to happen again.”

In order to ensure this priority is actually met, though, the minister said she requires the assistance of the committee. Part of the study will look into concerns around rail safety, including the effectiveness of safety management systems (SMS), the minister said. A safety management system, according to Transport Canada, is a formal way of making safety part of day-to-day rail operations, including rules, regulations, goals and targets.

The study will also consider other forms of transporting dangerous goods including road, marine and aviation, the minister said. Transport Canada officials will be made available to the committee as witnesses, she added.

The request for a committee investigation was welcomed by NDP MP Olivia Chow, who has been pushing for an in-depth review of the country’s rail safety system since 2006. Her most recent efforts came at an emergency transportation committee meeting held just days after the deadly crash in Quebec. That attempt failed, with the committee deciding to defer the study until the fall.

“Minister I really thank you for the offer to study rail safety,” Chow said. “I certainly take up your offer to do so.”

The committee’s study comes as Lac Megantic and its surrounding communities are anticipating the return of transportation by rail in their region. On Monday, NDP MP Jean Rousseau, whose riding borders Lac Megantic, said many in the region want to know what the trains are carrying before they travel through their communities.

There are a number of sensitivities at play Rousseau said, sensitivities that need to be addressed before the trains start running again. That’s entirely understandable, the minister said, given what happened.

While she could offer few specifics at the committee about the ongoing conversations in the Lac Megantic region, Raitt did say rail companies and the federation of municipalities are talking about improving communication about the types of goods being transported. Those conversations, she said, include better alerting first responders to container contents. More details are expected to be released in the next few days, she said.